Recognition of objects of interest (referred to herein as “targets”) in graphical contents of 2D images is used by military, law enforcement, commercial, and private entities. Typically, the goal of target recognition is identification or monitoring of one or more targets depicted in images produced by surveillance apparatuses or images stored in respective databases or archives. In various applications, target recognition may be performed in real time or, alternatively, using pre-recorded data.
It has been recognized in the art that there are difficulties associated with computerized, i.e., automated, comparing of the graphical contents of images. In particular, many challenges in the field of computerized target recognition relate to identification of targets that change their appearance due to orientation, lighting conditions, or partial occlusions.
Despite the considerable effort in the art devoted to techniques for searching databases of graphical data, further improvements would be desirable.